


Leather isn't Boyfriend Material

by mythicalowlsociety



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Joaquin is smitten, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10616487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicalowlsociety/pseuds/mythicalowlsociety
Summary: Joaquin struggles with his fondness of Kevin and the job he's supposed to do





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I'm sorry for my grammar. It's gonna be terrible.

Joaquin was screwed. 

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. 

 

Joaquin honest to god didn't know who Kevin was at the drive-in but kissing Kevin was mind blowing. The whole world faded for a moment, he wasn't a serpent, he wasn't an outcast. He was in a moment.  

 

And like an idiot Joaquin thought that maybe Kevin and him could hook up again to resume their little session....

....But of course FP was freakin' lingering in the alley ways and saw EVERYTHING. 

 

"That Keller's kid?"

"Ya." Joaquin looked down at the ground. Nobody in the serpents minded that he was... whatever he was.. not straight at least... but locking lips with the sheriff's son was grounds for him to get a few punches. Which was what Joaquin was expecting from FP and not a hand on the shoulder. 

"Way to go!" 

"Um..." Was all that Joaquin could manage. 

"No we can use this! You keep tabs of the Kellers', hell go to fucking Sunday dinners at all that shit and report back to me. The serpents need to know as much as they can about the police investigation. Only way we'll be able to protect our own is if we're one step ahead."

"Right. Sure thing, boss."

FP studied Joaquin in a way that made the teen's skin crawl. "You don't actually like that stuck up goody-goody?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Joaquin scoffed, trying to come off as stoic as possible. 

"Good." FP said taking an inch closer. "Just remember that this is a job now. Nothing else."

 

So Joaquin did like Kevin. Not like "let's be boyfriends with picnics in the park, holding hands and taking cute Instagram pics" kind of "like" but in a (gag) friends with benefits kind of way (god that sounded way too 1990's rom-com). Kevin was fun. He liked to party and dance, but he wasn't exactly careless while clubbing. He always took precautions while still making everything in good fun. The preppy kid surprisingly had decent taste in movies and music. Not to mention that he was easy to talk to and be around. 

And the kisses weren't exactly bad either. 

 

 Sometime around the third hook up they stopped making out and actually started talking and hanging out. It was insidious. Without even realizing it Joaquin was going on dates to Pop's diner. Friday nights became chocolate shake and cheeseburger verses cheep beer and a knuckle sandwich.  Kisses shifted from the needy, grabby, sloppy display of teenage hormones to a variety of different kisses each with their own meaning. The sweet affectionate cheek kisses. The chaste goodbye kisses as Joaquin would sneak out of the Keller House. Those kisses were supplements for the words "goodbye" and were usually followed by an "I'll text you." But Joaquin's favorite had to be the long, slow, deep kisses that started happening on the fifth encounter. Those kisses were the most problematic to the operation for many reasons but they made Joaquin's head spin. The kiss was none like any he ever had; compassionate and gentle. Like Kevin actually cared about him. The kiss almost like a promise.

But it made Joaquin feel like... well it made him feel like a snake. When Joaquin was with Kevin everything was peaches and cream. Except after every goodbye kiss Joaquin was swarmed by the feeling of guilt. He was on a job. A mission. He couldn't have his cake and eat it too. There was to be no emotional attachments to Kevin, that would just make everything unnecessarily complicated. Besides, as a serpent Joaquin wasn't exactly able to date. There was no rules among the serpents but it was just a side effect of being a gang banger. Being part of a cartel kind of puts a damper on a relationship with the whole extreme "Bro before hos' kind of philosophy that if violated may result in one having a kidney forcibly removed. 

So Joaquin didn't like Kevin.

Or at least that's what he told himself and FP. Joaquin would stand in front of the mirror every morning and repeat "You don't like Kevin. You just like the fantasy of a boyfriend. The idea that someone cares about you in a romantic way. Kevin is expendable in the fantasy. A good looking kid who is playing the part of boy friend in this make believe mission. That's it. You don't like Kevin. " 

This mantra actually worked for  _weeks._

 

But then the movie night happened.

Kevin's friend Veronica was hosting a movie night at her apartment and somehow Joaquin got roped into going. It was Veronica, Betty, Ethel, Kevin, and Joaquin. Four preppy kids and a south side serpent get together on a Saturday night to watch chick-flicks; it sounded like the start of a joke. 

 

So after Joaquin got the third degree from Veronica, which actually wasn't as bad as expected, they all settled down with a jumbo bowl of popcorn to watch  _Bridesmaids_ on Netflix. There wasn't enough space on the sofa so Joaquin ended up sitting on the floor with his head bracketed between Kevin's knees. Joaquin had his head resting on the preppy boy's legs while contently dosing off to the background noise of high school gossip and the movie. Kevin was playing with Joaquin's hair by lacing it into dozens of little braids. 

And it felt soooo good.

Kevin never yanked or pulled despite the fact that Joaquin's hair resembled a rat's nest. It was a gentle kind of contact that was weirdly intimate. It was so nice that Joaquin couldn't help but lean in to his boyfriend's touch...

Which was the though that made Joaquin's eyes snap open and feel like he had been shocked by 10'000 electric volts. There was so many things wrong with that thought

a) Although this wasn't the first time the boyfriend label had emerged, having first been produced by that reckless ginger kid, this was the first time Joaquin had used the title.

b) Emotional Attachment. RED ALERT AMOUNTS OF EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT. DANGER. DANGER **DANGER!**  Great. Just great. Joaquin was going to eventually break Kevin's heart and his own. Just perfect. He had one job. ONE JOB. And he ruined it all by getting all sappy.

c) There would be no more denial. Joaquin could lie to FP and the serpents but not to himself. Not anymore.

 

Meanwhile nobody had noticed Joaquin's abrupt outburst of flailing aside from Kevin. Keller's hand stilled in the Joaquin's hair and slowly reached around to rest on his cheek. The contact made Joaquin glance up to see Kevin's eyes asking ' _You okay, babe?'_

 

Which is when the emotions hit like a tidal wave. It's Kevin's face looking so sweet with concern; the gentle crease of worry between the brows, the tender question in the eyes, his pink lips parted slightly while his whole face is a glow in the blueish-white glow from the TV. Joaquin swallows his nerves and smiles, regardless of everything, at the sight before him. "Everything's great." he whispers as he turns back and leans into where he was sitting before feeling strangely happy as Kevin's hands resume braiding his hair. Somehow he feels calmer than he has in a long.  

 

Joaquin is totally, utterly, undeniably screwed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:
> 
> After the movie Joaquin, with heavy heart, goes to report any events to FP but forgets that his hair has like twenty little braids in it. FP notices instantly and laughs so hard that beer comes out his nose. That doesn't stop Jones from bringing it up constantly to tease Joaquin about it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


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